Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska "PLB" (Personal Locator Beacon) Thoughts

Your thoughts and experience with different PLB tools.

I’ve had a couple of the SPOT units. They’ve worked great. Use them off shore tuna fishing to keep in contact and on numerous backcountry backpacking trips. The updates to Apple allow iPhones to access satellites. I’ve had it kick on a few times in the mountains. But I won’t be getting rid of my SPOT for its robustness. Especially on the boat in the ocean

This is the only one you need at your age:

https://www.lifealert.com/

Garmin Inreach

I have owned (2) TWO ACR brand PLB's. I will likely get the newest model soon, it has some new features that appeal to me.

I’m not sure of the brand of my PLB without going to look but I bought it when I was going to run a new 60’ tender from Astoria to Elliot bay in Puget Sound. The day I was going to leave we found some problems with the boat so I drove back home. I pulled it out of the box and hit the test button and the light lit up so I went back to reading the instructions and after a bit I realize it wasn’t shut off(whoops) well a little bit later I hear wop wop wop and looking out back here is a JayHawk making a slow pass over my field on shiit! I said to the wife this is a coincidence right and she said not a chance. I didn’t bother registering it for a few months.

not a PLB so much imho but a Garmin in reach has been all we have had for years. Only caveat is some days I can text from AK to TX and have an instant reply from my wife. At the same time I can text my boss 7 miles or less away and get no reply for hours or until the next day. Kind of like old SPOT.

Keep meaning to call them and ask why.

There are essentially two categories of what the OP is calling PLBs. Those that operate off of the US SARSAT system that have no monthly fees. Subscription based devices that work off of private satellites.

The former category are one way communication devices that have to meet a very stringent technical standard. The latter are two way devices that don't have to meet the same standard. That's not to say that their standard is inadequate.

Ultimately emergency activation of either device will net a CG response if in a maritime environment or will be managed by the Air Force if over land.

In the former category ACR and McMurdo are the only big players in the game.

In the latter, Garmin In Reach and Spot are the major players with a lot of emerging options. ACR has their Bivy Stik which has slightly different functionality. New I phones have emergency satellite functionality. I chose an ACR ResQlink about 5 years ago. My situation is likely to change soon, and I may go a different route.

Both classes of emergency satellite communicators do their intended job very well. It's simply a matter of finding the one that has the features that fit your intended use and budget best.

You have drawn attention to two common concerns with PLBs and EPIRBs. Accidental activations and owners not registering them. I encourage people to read and understand the test and activation procedures and to contact the CG if they think they may have accidentally activated theirs. Over 95% of all EPIRB and PLB activations are false alerts. With good registration information, the CG can sort most of those out without a launch. Registration can also help shape the CG response. If it's registered to a boat that carries 12 passengers, for example, the CG may send a boat and a helo as opposed to just a helo.

Thanks Paul for your insights. There are many times when SAR resources are focused on false alerts diverting limited resources from an actual case.

Mines the ACR Resqlink+ and I reregister it every two years. When this one expires it will be replaced with a new model and everyone should listen to Paul on this one because he knows his stuff. To the OP the ACR works well!

I have crashed (3) Three aircraft in Alaska. While (it is) not a true PLB, the ELT is the similar original concept. The ELT has saved my life. I have owned two ACR Personal Locator Beacons, which I never tested, or used for rescue.

One poopy thing about Alaska is it cost nearly as much to replace the battery in ACR unit: as a totally new unit can be purchased in lower 48.

A related important point, when you retire a used-up PLB, smash it into pieces and bury it. I also strongly suggest you never purchase a used PLB, and never sell a used PLB, just destroy it.

Good point about disposal. Many epirb alerts lead the Coast Guard to dumpsters. Open it up and disconnect the battery prior to disposal or destruction.

I've once carried a rented Sat phone, but now have an in-Reach, which we activate on a monthly basis when needed.

I’m 63 don’t have one don’t want one !
When I retired I did not even want a cell phone.

Was hunting with a pard a few years back and he triggered his. Had it in his pack and sat down on it. It was a blue bird day and I heard a helo coming in low on a bee line to our location. Luckily we were in some open meadows, I had blaze camo on, and had my handheld VHF with me, so we got things sorted out pretty quickly.

After having a heat related issue in Arizona, i carry a "Resqlink," and my CELL PHONE, which is off when I am hunting. My wife, family and friends are at ease when I am out and about by myself, knowing that these tools are available if I need help.

Your life, your choice. easy enough. Don't blame you either.

Just not regrets for you and or family later on if something happens.

Is it inreach to inreach? Those are weird and sometimes they don’t show up

Inreach to cell is quick.

I have come to the conclusion that if I need reliable in reach to in reach communication, I need somebody back home with a cell phone that can relay the info. Text the person with the cell phone and then let them text the other person with the inreach.

I don't like this unit for maritime applications because it doesn't float. For land based applications, its compact size and 7 year battery life are appealing. https://oceansignal.com/us/products...kxmO3yAyTVK7zQwIocLtog6FUHo2quYgGliI_hWA Ocean Signal is an ACR company.

We've done the same. I am usually the problem as I don't turn my inreach or phone on for long periods. I think I'd be in the same boat if i had a sat phone, so never pursued that.

I'm on my third ACR PLB. Great summary PaulBarnard.

Here's a distillation. A Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) or EPIRB transmits as a "406 distress beacon" which is monitored by the SARSAT network. In the US it's NOAA and the response team is the USCG. Long way of saying there's a lot of resources watching out for PLB signals and as shared here, the coast guard WILL respond. Please register your device with NOAA. It allows them to check on false alarms with the alternative number you provide in the registration.

Downside: They're one way communication only. You activate and a call to the cavalry is sent. No "honey i'm ok" message capability.
Advantages: Even with the robustness of the network, 406's don't carry an annual fee. Internal battery is long lasting (no more "dangit I forgot to put batteries in this thing"). But as mentioned above replacement batteries are expensive and not worth replacing. Plus...the units keep getting smaller and lighter. My first ACR was the size of an overstuffed 6" Sub Sandwich and weighed about a pound. My latest is the size of a small dinner roll and lives permanently in my pack.

SPOT doesn't work for me because of it's coverage. It uses the Globalstar Satellite phone network which at the time of it's launch was in decay. I'm reading that they're now investing in new satellites so the network has a better future. Two-way communications that SPOTX brings would be nice, but the bullet proof, single purpose distress signals of an ACR is a worthwhile tradeoff for me.

yes, in reach to in reach. Even sitting next to each other is weird.

Still have to call them I guess. Just to see if I can adjust a setting or something. If not it is what it is. Its created some issues that would have been a LOT easier had we been able to communicate quicker. Like bring game bags or a packer or other things, especially when the cub flew all the way out etc...

Regardless its nice to have the ability even if not as timely as we would like.

Ends up the work around is text the wife, she texts the boss and back and forth...

Duh, sorry, missed this reply. Thats what we started to do 2 years ago.

I thought it was a bit disconcerting that the Bering Air plane which crashed on the ice recently was not readily located by the ELT or similar transmitter that all commercial aircraft are supposed to have on board. Makes one realize that none of this technology is magic.

Its not magic for sure. But I'd rather try than not.